Rye Mayor Steve Otis, who is not shy about his feelings about the proposed Rye – Syosset tunnel, blasts the "tunnel vision" yet again – this time in the current issue of Westchester magazine. The current May issue of the glossy discusses "Our Future" and fawns over all things futuristic including the tunnel, an idea cooked up by Long Island developer Vincent Polimeni. Otis tells the glammy mag:
"Our ability to move commerce will come to a halt if that tunnel is built. It is undeniable that a tunnel would bring significant increase in traffic to the I=287/I-95 juncture, thereby making a failed corridor even more impossible."
the tunnel would be horrible for Rye, I really hope it doesn’t go through. Why would a private developer get to decide to make something so disruptive to so many people?
Molly, don’t fall for this old political trick. Steve is trying to deflect attention away from his failures as mayor by trying to scare voters that a tunnel is coming, and only he can stop it.
Polimeni was trying to get some free publicity by talking about building this tunnel. With Steve’s help, it worked.
There’s no way a private developer will be able to do this, when Triboro Bridge & Tunel Authority President Robert Moses failed. He had built literally scores of highways (Hutch, Saw Mill, Bronx River, Cross County, Grand Central Parkway, Northern State, BQE and others), dozens of bridges and tunnels (including Throgs Neck, Whitestone, Verrazano Narrows, Henry Hudson, 59th Street) as well as parks, public housing and Shea Stadium.
Moses failed to build the tunnel because Governor Rockefeller refused to back him. Polimeni supposedly had some financiers and big-name pols behind him… Bear Stearns and Eliot Spitzer. Remember them? One got caught going naked in a bear market, the other was caught going bare in a naked market.
Great line about Spitzer and Bear Stearns!!!!
Wasn’t it a highway and not a tunnel that Moses proposed?
Concerned…
Sorry, got my Moses mixed up.
The old Moses parted the seas, with some help from God. You’re right, the other Moses proposed building a bridge, not a tunnel. Had he proposed building a highway on water, well… that would take a Jesus.
Scooter,
Let’s not just blame Otis for the failures. It’s you and the rest of the council as well.
anyone know what is being built on the corner of stuyvesant and van wagonen by the Coveleigh tennis courts? most of the trees were choppped down and the land is all bulldozed.
Its a new reservoir the city is building to guarantee a steady supply of water for Schubert’s “natural” pond. Otis is desperate for his vote.
It’s the hole that Otis, Scooter and the rest of the council dug. All of Rye one day will have to climb out of.
Looks like another tennis court. But if it’s anything deeper they’re likely going to hit the underground stream over there that was used for years to fill the Durland Center swimming pool. The new home across the street found that stream during construction a few years ago and it flooded their foundation. Too bad this one can’t be diverted up and over the Milton Point ridgeline and down to the Schubert wetland. The Durland Pool always filled faster on subsurface stream water than municipal. And it was very clean.
Can we talk about something meaningful like….. Oh I don’t know,how about the crap the RTA is trying to pull. They have hand picked 3 candidates to run for the BOE for the sake of our children-one whom is a teacher in Scarsdale. “for the sake of our children”…..WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT!!!
Now they have gone so far as to attack Laura Slack, one of the most kind,caring,& honest individuals one could possibly run across. Denying J.Saracino tenure for personal matters was the right move for the right reason…….
SHE DOES NOT HAVE THE QUALITY’S!!! It has nothing to do with the rumor going around about an email sent by her.
I HAVE THE SMOKING GUN…..and it wasn’t Saracino who sent the email…..it was another Rye Midland Teacher with tenure who sent this email & got away with it. While the world struggles to get through the most difficult economic times the RTA is still pushing their ridiculous contract demands down our throats with both hands in our pockets. THEIR ONLY INTEREST IN RYE EDUCATION IS MONEY NOT OUR CHILDREN!!! Does anyone know how many Rye Teachers actually live in Rye?
SO IF THEY ARE SO UNDER PAID WHY DON’T THEY GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!!!
TruthBeTold,
Tell the truth and publish the e-mail. I’d like to be informed, may even sway my vote.
Three New York surgeons were playing golf together and discussing surgeries they had performed. One of them said, “I’m the best surgeon in New York. In my favorite case, a concert pianist lost several fingers in an accident. I reattached them, and 8 months later, he performed a private concert for the Queen of England.”
The second surgeon said, “That’s nothing. A young man lost an arm and both legs in an accident, I reattached them and two years later he won a gold medal in track and field events at the Olympics.”
The third surgeon said, “You guys are amateurs. Several years ago a man was high on cocaine and marijuana and he rode a horse head-on into a New Haven train traveling at 80 miles an hour in Rye New York. All I had left to work with was his hair and the horse’s ass. I was able to put them together and now he’s the Mayor of Rye.”
One who smiles:
That was hysterical.
That picture of Otis who looks like he was 15 and on a school trip to City Hall should be in the circle with the line through it.
Otis is a horse’s ass and needs to bring his sorry act somewhere else. He has become completely useless.
Hey, I’m glad somebody’s talking about this! Its about time. Jamies a nice girl but come on, I don’t want those damn teachers hand in my wallet. You know they make like 60 thousand a year to start? TO START!
and all those vacations where I got to find a sitter to get to work?
So she didn’t get tenure, so what.I dont have a job for life, do you?
Laura Slack helps Ryes little people like those families whose apartments were burned out. She was there every day I know I saw her. If you know Mrs. Slack you know she would never hurt anyone. She’s like Mother Theresa.
I don’t want more rich people on the board. Who are these “new” candidates? I grew up here and they sure as hell didn’t.
Lets stick with this board who at least finally gave us a budget that doesn’t raise our taxes.
I know a lot of people agree with me but we don’t like to get ourselves on TV like that crazy broad the teacher from Scarsdale.
I agree with nowaynohow, the board should stay as it is, with the exception of the only open seat which will hopefully be filled by someone that is for the City of Rye and not just the teachers. The teachers agenda is pretty pathetic, due to their lack of a contract. They refused to participate in Halloween this year, they refused to do the classroom switching for the 5th graders to prepare them for Middle School Life. I’m wondering what else they haven’t done for our children. Are they putting in their full effort? I truly hope so. After all “for the sake of the children” shouldn’t be driven by money. After all if you ask any teacher they will say I didn’t become a teacher for the money.. Well then? I agree teachers should be paid well, for the job that they do. However, paid within reason. Is it necessary to be paid high salaries, not contribute to their healthcare, etc, etc… There are millions of American Citizens that are standing on food pantry lines, there are millions of Americans that cannot afford healthcare. American citizens, not 3rd world citizens. We are in the throws of a recession which is almost a depression! Come on teachers, give us a break, ask for more money when the country is doing better, then maybe we can afford to pay you a little bit more. But for right now, maybe the teachers should drive around Rye and see how many houses are up for sale. People can’t afford the taxes now! So should they continue to make our taxes climb? Then those non rich people WILL be driven out of the city the majority of us have called home for generations and therefore making the houses which can’t be sold fall into default and then no one will be paying those school taxes on those homes.
Where did the school rank this year. They always point to that. Didn’t see it in the top 100. Maybe they should give back based on poor performance.
They are not doing anything for the kids? Isn’t that their job? Oh, its not about money…sure its not.
And we hear our houses are ridiculous expensive because of our great teachers. well my house isnt worth what it was two years ago. I think they shoud get a pay cut!
BanTheBridge,
I’m not sure posting this email will keep me out of a law suit. For now you will just have to take my word for it. Trust me…IT DOES EXIST & IT WILL @ LEAST CLEAR JAMIE OF ONE RUMOR!
Why on earth would you need this email to sway your vote??? Facts are Facts… There is no way on gods green earth anyone should side with the RTA!!! What is the 1st thing the Teachers Union says in their dispute…..” we want what other districts have”….. well what is going to happen when we raise to that level??? That scarsdale teacher(Susan Hendler) who is running for a BOE seat is running for just that reason. Then scarsdale teachers can say the same thing when their next contract negotiations come up…. what a merry go round we will have started!!! This woman has a direct 100% conflict of interest and shouldn’t even be allowed to run. NO TEACHER BELONGS ON A BOE!!! I’m glad this is being talked about and I started it. It needs to be said and alot of these people in Rye are f…… PANZIS!!!!
The Rye teachers and the Administration of the Rye City School District both agreed to let an independent mediator/arbitrator settle their contract dispute. The recommendations/agreements came in and the Rye City School District decided not to abide by them.
This type of bad faith is what has led to the furthering of bad morale amongst our teachers.
How much has the Osborn litigation cost the taxpayers so far? I’m sure it is a lot less than paying our teachers what was agreed to and then reneged on by the RCSD would cost.
How much is it costing taxpayers for the propaganda Shine puts in the paper every week?
Let’s cut some of the positions, the salaries and the perks that RCSD Administration members receive.
So why are YOU against the school board? Your beefs above…and it’s clear you’re a teacher or a teachers relative, are with the Administration, right?
The Board is parents and they live here just like me and I don’t like people coming into my town and telling me how much taxes I should pay when you don’t pay any.
And let me tell you about “arbitrators”…they said that at Rye’s average income we can afford more taxes to pay you greedy teachers more.
Sorry about your “bad morale” – more like a bad attitude” not marching with the kids at Halloween.What’s wrong with you? I thought you loved kids?
Well just because a lot of Rich people who send their kids to private schools anyway make our “average” income so high, doesn’t mean working class Rye can pay higher property taxes!!!
You teachers make ALOT of money for a very short day and a VERY short year.
And don’t whine about working nights…you got prep periods during the day.
That school board has always given you guys way too much money. Now they finally show some common sense and you spread dirty rumors about the members?
Your union has no scruples…its MONEY MONEY MONEY.
And Shine aint the board either…your beef with the board is to get your own people on it for a money grab.
Everyone I know is spreading the word. No more tax hikes!
Why is the School Board,
You need to wake up from that cloud you float on!!!
“This type of bad faith is what has led to the furthering of bad morale amongst our teachers”.
I noticed you used the term “furthering”….which says you admit there was already a problem with the teachers morale.
“NO SHIT” guess who is paying the price for this “bad morale”….. your children & mine!!! The teachers behavior in the presence of our kids is DISGUSTING!!! They crossed the line when they involved the children and that should not be forgotten!!! I don’t care what their beef is or who is right or wrong. Who the hell do they think they are.
I FOR ONE DO NOT TOLERATE THAT KIND OF SHIT!!!
I will never side with the teachers and would have no problem letting them know that. Their job as a teacher should always be in the best interest of our children…..
“IT IS NOT”!!
ESPECIALLY THE 5TH GRADE TEACHERS!!!
THEY COLLECTIVELY CHOSE NOT TO HAVE THE KIDS SWITCH CLASSES “FURTHERING” THE TRANSITION INTO 6TH GRADE!!!
FOR THIS WE SHOULD REWARD THEM???
ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!
Anyone who votes for those 3 hand picked yo yo’s should be condemnd!!!
Wait is having teachers on the BOE like having City employees on the council.
Let’s hope anyone with 1/2 a mind can see through the RTA attempt to run a RTA ticket for BOE.
You forgot to mention the RTA also did not march with the seniors at graduation last june and have failed to be involved in many a event FOR the kids..
TruthBeTold,
First off I take no ones word for it.
You ask how this would sway my vote. Well if she let personal matters cloud her judgement on giving tenure I would never vote for her when shes up for reelection.
I don’t think just because someone is a teacher that they automatically should be eliminated from being a viable candidate. That’s like saying a tax payer from rye can’t be on the board because they won’t negotiate in good faith because they’re footing the tax bill.
The teachers salaries aren’t high enough for them to afford living here in Rye. So if you turned your house into a Mcmansion and you can’t afford your tax bill, then maybe it’s time to move. But to blame them for the cost of living here is a joke.
banthebridge/canthecouncil:
We’re not talking about “mcmansions” we’re talking about the middle class citizens who live here. The ones who are now struggling to continue to keep their homes after being here for a hell of a long time. BTW there are several teachers who live here in Rye, just like any other job, you do not necessarily live in the same city where you work, for a number of different reasons. Whether it be pricing of the homes, to just enjoying where you’re from. there are quite a few teachers who also own expensive vehicles, and some may live here. Point is they make enough money to either live here if they choose, and enough money to drive Range Rovers and Mercedes Benz’s. (if you want names and plate #’s of those teachers who drive these expensive cars, I can get them for you if you wish, In fact I think Mr. Amico has a whole list) The majority of them do not live here and don’t give a rat’s ass whether or not the taxes are astronomical or not. You can’t compare citizens of Rye being on the council to teachers, because the agenda is so very different. People who live here are for the whole of the city, people who work here ie: teachers are only about their jobs and themselves. People who reside here realize the consequences of the actions whether it be taxes, building homes, making changes to roadways,etc.. They/we have to live with it. Not just drive in at 8:00am and leave at 3:15pm.
They ‘re from Rye or they can’t run. What they drive has nothing to do with what they make. Most people are from two income families or work two jobs. So just because they’re teachers, they can’t be trusted. You wouldn’t want teachers represented on a school board, that would be dangerous. Might even settle a contract. Wow that would be devastating.
To the poster who said that the BOE and the RTA agreed to let an independent arbitrator “settle their dispute.” That isn’t how it works. Under the Taylor Law and the rules of the Public Employee Relations Board, either party, or both, can declare an impasse in negotiations. PERB then appoints an arbitrator to receive evidence from the parties regarding their respective positions. He (in this case Howard Edelman) then makes a non- binding recommendation. Either party is free to accept or reject the recommendation. Here, the BOE rejected it, as do many public employers, largely because the arbitrators have little or no incentive to reach a management-favorable finding. They like to work too.
Robert L. Byrne,
Thank You for letting the non-informed know how things operate. Unfortunately we live in a society(RYE) where they dive into a pool before checking the water level.
banthebridge,
Yes,devastating,in an economy such as this & when they are the only ones benefiting!!! Why don’t you have a comment on all the negative “FACTS” that have been outlined for you??? I guess your okay with their behavior in the involvement of our children!!!
Since you are only one of two people on the teachers side we don’t have much to worry about.
2 votes ain’t gonna cut it!!!!!
Truthbetold,
What facts. The e-mail that we can’t see. Or your big fact that the teachers didn’t participate in Halloween? Classroom switching to prepare your child for 6th grade. Oh that’s down right criminal. Boo Hoo
Yes I’m okay with their involvement with my children. Can’t complain about any of the ones my kids have had. And they deserve to be compensated fairly for their work.
All you have is your angry about your tax rate and it must be the teachers fault. So your popping off with your opinions in caps and calling it facts.
Only the teachers are benefiting, yeah they’re living large. I notice them buying up all the water front houses in Rye.
banthebridge,
WHAT FACTS??? R U JOKING???
The email that exists(smoking gun) would only exonerate Jaimee of the rumor that she sent it. Why don’t you ask her Blonde counterpart(kindergarten teacher)who wrote the email??? It would however set the record straight otherwise. BTW- The facts I speak of ARE OF NO SECRET!! Take your head out of the sand & open your eyes!!! The involvement with our kids I speak of is not on the educational level. They have involved(USED) our kids to send a message. PATHETIC!!! Not the teachers I want leading my kids in a classroom!!! I am not angry about my tax rate…I would be angry for it escalating when EVERY district is scaling back & freezing salaries. I do not single the RTA out for my tax rate….Definitely a big part of it. “compensated for their work”….yeah they are so under paid!!!
Well the teachers aren’t leaving so I guess you’ll have to sell the house.
So BAN THE BRIDGE…the teachers can afford to live in Rye or they can’t afford to live in Rye? You seem confused.
Sure the pawns who are running live here, but not the union bosses calling the tune.
Oh, and you can take a shot at people for their McMansions, but we’re not supposed to mention the spoiled brat teachers who are single, live at home, drive late model cars and whine about making 60K for a 5+ hour day 183 days a year.
So I got it, if Joe six pack can’t afford his taxes, he can leave, right? Well if teaching in Rye is so Bad, why don’t they go teach in Bridgeport, or Yonkers?
And it does suck if they don’t march with the kids at Halloween. Your sarcasm about that says a lot about what you think of kids.Where do you teach, by the way?
Not leaving the jobs. So they’ll be teaching your kids if you don’t sell.
If you over built and can’t afford the tax, leave.
You say teachers are over paid at 60k, so your clearly out of touch.
I doubt your a Joe six pack, or you wouldn’t be so whiney.
Who said it was bad for them to work here. They just should be treated fairly.
Maybe you should just take your children trick or treating on Halloween and leave the teachers alone.
NO I’m not Joe Six pack…you can’t even follow your own insults. I don’t live in a McMansion either. But you assumed another guy did when he mentioned taxes. I take my girls trick or treating, but it was “whiney” for the teachers who want to be treated “fairly” not to march.
And Rye teachers don’t make 60K, they make 60K to start, so I’m out of touch? That’s a lot of money anywhere you go. And you are right about one thing, they are not leaving the job, despite how much they whine, they know they are “treated fairly” here.
And my house is not overbuilt. Taxes went up to pay those “unfair” teacher salaries.
I can see you are a great spokesman for the teachers though.If your attitude is typical, with your sarcastic BOO HOO and witty original remarks like that, its no wonder you get no sympathy.
banthebridge,
You are now “SO CROSSING THE LINE”!!! Let me tell you something you insensitve piece of garbage!!! I have been living here my entire life….which means I attended all the
schools (just in case u need help figuring that out) and never ever did the teachers remotely think of hurting the children. The teachers ALWAYS particapated with the kids….NO MATTER WHAT!!! Up until now they always took part in Halloween with the children. How dare they take that away from the kids!!! I can’t tell the kids apart from the adults anymore.WHAT A JOKE!!! The teachers I remember never let a contract dispute control the way they treated us. WHAT IS SO UNFAIR ABOUT HOW THE TEACHERS GET TREATED IN RYE??? BTW- I DIDN’T OVER BUILD & DON’T OWN A F…… MCMANSION!!! AND YES WE DEFINITELY WANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU TEACH…. OR DON’T YOU HAVE THE BALLS TO SAY SO??????????
banthebridge,
here is something else for you to chew on. Check these two links out! BTW-one of them should help jog your memory about the infamous email that you think I am bluffing about!!!
raisingsmallsouls.com (click the video “Animal School”
Paradox of the left | The San Diego Union-Tribune
wish i can see your face when you watch these. Tell u what…why don’t you post your address so we can have coffee during the show!!!
I don’t teach anywhere.
I’m crossing the line. LOL you’ve been screaming in caps and cursing and name calling the teachers since your first post.
Don’t care about an e-mail that you won’t post or your links.
Lived in Rye my whole life and would never have a person that whines as much as you over for coffee.
I know what the teachers make and it’s not that much. I’m not there advocate just think that your a whiner.
I’M SORRY CAPS OFFEND YOU! OMG….WHAT SHALL I DO??? I GAVE YOU ENOUGH LEADS….IF YOUR SMART ENOUGH(DOUBT IT) YOU CAN FIGURE IT ALL OUT!!! BTW-I DON’T WHINE…IT’S CALLED TELLING IT LIKE IT IS!!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE LIVED HERE YOUR WHOLE LIFE…. NO WONDER!!!
Not offended by your yelling or name calling. Think your laughable.
Your poor kids must look forward to every minute they spend with a teacher. What with all the yelling, complaining, name calling at home I bet they’re up at the crack of dawn waiting to go to school.
Telling what like it is. Other then they haven’t marched in the Halloween parade you haven’t told a thing.
PS You do whine
WELL LOOKS LIKE S.HENDLER IS ALMOST DONE. Those signs are coming down at an alarming rate after her pathetic stance @ the podium. A friend of mine took theirs down & this woman,who supposably cares so much about the kids had the nerve to voice her disbelief w/attitude in a phone call to their home. You actually want this woman on any board in RYE??? YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING!!!
banthebridge/canthecouncil:
It seems as if you think we are all just mad about tax hikes and blaming it on the teachers. The teachers in Rye who make quite a a bit of money are doing more than just not marching in Halloween parades and preparing 5th grade children for 6th grade. A blonde haired teacher (at Midland)who has tenure mis placed two of her kindergarten students within a month of each other. She has tenure, NO disciplinary action was taken against her. another Kindergarten teacher who with the help of her aide was too busy bullsh– with a parent and wasn’t paying attention while 4 students cut their own hair.There are teachers who speed thru their own school zones, whether because they are late to school or just running out for lunch or whatever! Teachers who almost run over students in the parking lot because they are trying to leave school property so damn fast, they can’t wait for children to cross. First grade teachers who don’t wait for parents or caretakers to meet their students before they turn their backs and walk back inside of the building. The list goes on and on. These are people who we have no choice but to trust with our children’s lives, from 8:40am-3:00pm, so guess what we are going to be extremely critical of them. They want more money, and don’t want to contribute to their healthcare costs, etc. etc…Not only should they be well educated, well qualified, they should also give a shit about their students and all of the children who attend their school.
So all teachers should not get a fair contract because of this?
I’m sure if any of this was verified, it would be kept in the teachers file. These incidents should be addressed, but not one sounds serious enough for heads to roll.
I see enough speeders in school zones to know it’s not just teachers doing it.
When I mention teachers speeding, I did not say it was ONLY teachers. I am simply making a statement of people in a profession where children are their number one priotiy! How can you ask if the other items listed above were ever verified? These are things that happened to personal friends children. These situations did not occur just this year, they are a series of things that have happened over a few years. One of those things happened to my own child. I am simply mentioning some of many, many things that occur within our school district. I don’t want heads to roll, but the truth of the matter is that there are quite a few teachers who just don’t care. They only care about their money, perks and then getting the hell out of the school at the end of the day. When you say “fair contract” how is it fair to want increases when this country is well passed a recession. People are out of work and standing on food pantry lines. There are quite a few teachers who make well over $100,000.00 in Rye and they want MORE!! How is that fair? During this economy?
People standing on food pantry lines? I haven’t seen that around here.
Quite a few teachers who have been on the job for many years to make over $100,000. By the way look around that is the going rate for teachers in this area.
How is it not fair? What should they make? Do you live for your job? If someone with the same job made a mistake would you take a pay cut?
Yes, and how sad that they get paid this kind of $$$$ and run about with the behavior mentioned above. Getting paid that kind of $$$$ is exactly why they should be grateful instead of greety.
Fair or Not…. they are not starving or living in a cardboard box and should be glad for that. I don’t see anyone taking a pay cut-DO YOU??? When is Enough – Enough???
banthebridge/canthecouncil
You sound like some kind of jerk! where did anyone say it wasn’t fair, of the teachers salaries, nor has anyone mentioned paycuts. It is not fair to ask for MORE at this time in this country. People aren’t standing in food pantry lines in Rye. But,did you know that Milton School is a Title 1 school, which means that the poverty ratio/percentages in that district are so high that the school qualified by state guidelines to receive extra funding for free lunches more than any other school in Rye! That has to come from somewhere. So why don’t you go back to your mansion and your country club or back to your teaching job and just shut the hell up!
GO RYE LIFER!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!
LOVE IT!!! LAY IT ON THAT LOSER!!!
LMAO, yes loads of poverty stricken families children go to Milton. They must be living in the Milton projects.
Already said I’m not a teacher and I truly am middle class working two jobs to live in Rye. So my kids can go to a good school with good teachers. Also don’t belong to any club.
I guess you didn’t read all the comments about over paid “greety” teachers.
I’d call you names but your doing a fine job of making an ass out of yourself.
We have good schools with(i think) good teachers. Why don’t the teachers see this? They are fairly treated on all levels. So sick of the whining & greed around here. Rye has never seen this kind of behavior of any magnitude. Why don’t they go get a job in the Bronx and see how the other side lives! Rye has very serious major shit going on & we have to listen to the cry baby teachers. GIMME A DAMN BREAK!
They just want a contract equal to the teachers in like communities. I don’t think that is being greedy.
The good schools are just one of the many things about Rye that helps keep the value of our homes so high.
I’m with Rye Lifer Too. Looking to be paid a contract equal to teachers in other communities is not being greedy, but then again, no one is holding them back from switching jobs, either. If their primary motivation for their job is the paycheck, why don’t they look for better paying jobs, rather than looking for everyone in the community to dig deeper into pockets already fleeced by the federal, state and county governments? Oh, right, to do so means they’d have to WORK HARDER!
I’d rather my child would be taught by someone who loves to teach rather than someone who’s looking to simply show up and pretend to teach so they can get the incredible health benefits, paid summer vacation, easy hours, etc. I’m sick of the union always whining about how tough their members have it. Public teachers can’t hold a candle to private teachers, who are usually paid a lot less – but do it BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT! And guess what – they come out with a better product!
OK I wasn’t going to say anything because I type fast and make careless mistakes. But when Banthe/Canthe starts making fun of everyone else – calling everyone “whiney” ( a whine is a sound and you can’t hear typeface)
and mocking misspellings, well you got to look at a teacher who spells you are (the contraction you’re) YOUR.
No one but a teacher would call a 7-8% pay raise during a recession “fair”. They want 3 or 4 percent on top of their raises they get just for breathing.
And dumbass, go to that beautiful little church over in Port Chester on Midland and you’ll see a food pantry line. You arrogant shit. So now you mock kids and poor people?
You can say 20 times “they need a fair contract” like they taught you to repeat in your union classes, but its falling on deaf ears. We’re fed up in Rye and we’re fed up with the union attacks on our people.
Nowaynohow –
You hit the nail on the head. Banthe/Canthe is a perfect example of what I despise – a union slob masquerading as a noble teacher, all the while angling for any way to get more out of the rest of us. They want a fair contract, fine – THEY SHOULD PAY FOR THEIR OWN RETIREMENT! THEY SHOULD SEE THEIR WAGE FIXED AT COLA, AND THEY SHOULD WORK IN THE SUMMER MONTHS TUTORING KIDS WHO PERFORMED UNDER PAR DURING THE YEAR.
Speaking of Tutoring! Lets not forget they come to your house to further educate(tutor)the same child that attends their classes for a nominal fee. I have a math tutor from outside of Westchester that comes to my home for $50 per hour and most of the time it’s an hour & a half and won’t take a penny more. These so called non greedy teachers get $75-$100 for 45 minutes and will definitely charge you for overtime. WOW.. Never saw myself on the same side of a battle as Scooter.Usually we are beating each other up in the other threads(city of rye).
Scooter your just anti union. I’ll repeat it once again I’m not a teacher. None of the people standing in line are from the Milton district and I made fun of no poor people.
Scooter are you a lawyer or Wall Streeter. Those are the people who put our country in this mess.
Truth be Told – There is always common ground somewhere. I may disagree with you on other things, but not on this one.
Banthe/Canthe – I am neither a lawyer nor a Wall Streeter, and I don’t like your attitude one bit. So you don’t like people who join private clubs, you don’t like lawyers, you don’t like financial professionals, and you are willing to assign all the blame for the mess the country is in to these people. I guess anyone who is uneducated, took out a loan for more than they could afford and doesn’t want to socialize with others must be a saint.
You claim you want the teachers to get a fair contract. If their current pay and benefits are unfair, why aren’t we seeing an exodus of teachers? Wouldn’t we find it hard to replace departing teachers with qualified canditates? IF the contract was not fair, then the answer would be “YES”.
Yet we see stability in the payroll, and never have a problem finding over-qualified teachers to fill the occasional spot due to retirement or relocation.
You fail to see the danger of what can happen when unions continuously get what they want through coercion and threats – and threatening the well-being of our children is the most potent technique they’ve mastered. Although you seem to be anti-education, if you’d care to be enlightened as to the dangers of constantly giving in to the demands of unions, just check out this website:
http://www.sweet-juniper.com/search/label/Detroit
Detroit was once the fastest growing city in the US, promising good jobs at fair wages. And guess what? Unions set up shop, went to battle with management and continuously demanded more “fair” wages and benefits. It took a bit of time, but they’ve now just about bankrupted three once great companies that were the envy of the industrialized world. Detroit’s population is now half – half! – of what it once was. Is it any wonder why I’m anti-union? They are never satisfied, and will destroy the social fabric of any community if given half a chance. I don’t want the place I was born in to become a wasteland like Detroit. And don’t call me alarmist – these things don’t happen overnight, but creep slowly, year after year.
Banthebridge/canthecouncil:
You are in fact making fun of poor or less fortunate people because you can’t OPEN your eyes the fact that “true” middle or even lower class people exist in Rye. My high schooler has a friend who only eats at school or goes to Holy Rosary for a meal on the weekends, so don’t you dare keep ignoring these facts. There are hundreds upon hundreds of families that have lived in Rye for generations, and were always middle class, now the entire country is in a financial crisis including Rye. These same people are struggling to pay their taxes and mortgages. Due to losing their jobs or their businesses doing poorly. Someone posted earlier about driving thru Rye and seeing all of the for sale signs, they are not on the mcmansions, but on the average homes. True middle class people do not have several hundred thousand in the bank to fall back on until this crisis passes. You just need to come to the realization that it just is not fair to continue to ask for higher pay increases, and all of the other bullshit these teachers are asking for right now is just ludacris! BTW they are still getting increases, it is just not high enough for them. If these teachers want more money they need to step it up, Rye didn’t even come in the top 100 this year, pretty sad! So to say that Rye has some of the best schools in the country or state is currently past tense. In fact the number one top ranked school is in Yonkers where the teachers make just a little bit more than Bronx teachers. What does that say about teachers and their true agendas? Money or the love of teaching their students? one more thing about teachers, the majority of students in Rye need tutors, because the teachers are either not caring enough to help these children understand or they are just not teaching it well enough. think about it, when we were kids, how many of us needed tutors for almost every subject? These kids struggle to get the best grades they can, and this is usually with the help of an overpriced tutor who is also a teacher.
Scooter,
Weak arguement. Those uneducated people got loans form educated people that didn’t care if they defaulted. They just want a cut. Some of them were smart enough, just thought the housing market would climb forever and wanted to make a buck. I have no sympathy for them.
As for you blaming the unions in Detroit for the auto industries problems. We all watched corporate Americas greed on display as they flew out to Washington in company jets to beg for are tax dollars. What did they give up there multi million dollar bonus for one year. That’s the penalty they paid. How come no asked the wall streeters how they arrived to beg for money. Here’s the plan by Scooter and his likes.
New GOP Memo entitled Action Alert about the Auto Bail Out makes clear that it’s all about “Union Busting”
By John Amato Friday Dec 12, 2008 7:26pm
Countdown obtained a new memo that explains the GOP’s strategy for blocking a bridge loan to the auto industry:
Countdown has obtained a memo entitled “Action Alert – Auto Bailout,” and sent Wednesday at 9:12am, to Senate Republicans. The names of the sender(s) and recipient(s) have been redacted in the copy Countdown obtained.
The Los Angeles Times reported that it was circulated among Senate Republicans. The brief memo outlines internal political strategy on the bailout, including the view that defeating the bailout represents a “first shot against organized labor.” Senate Republicans blocked passage of the bailout late Thursday night, over its insistence on an immediate union pay cut.
From: Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 9:12 AM
To: Subject: Action Alert — Auto Bailout
Today at noon, Senators Ensign, Shelby, Coburn and DeMint will hold a press conference in the Senate Radio/TV Gallery. They would appreciate our support through messaging and attending the press conference, if possible. The message they want us to deliver is:
1. This is the democrats first opportunity to payoff organized labor after the election. This is a precursor to card check and other items. Republicans should stand firm and take their first shot against organized labor, instead of taking their first blow from it.
2. This rush to judgment is the same thing that happened with the TARP. Members did not have an opportunity to read or digest the legislation and therefore could not understand the consequences of it. We should not rush to pass this because Detroit says the sky is falling.
The sooner you can have press releases and documents like this in the hands of members and the press, the better. Please contact me if you need additional information. Again, the hardest thing for the democrats to do is get 60 votes. If we can hold the Republicans, we can beat this.
The GOP sent the first shot across the bow of the upcoming Obama administration as they killed the auto rescue plan Thursday night. It never was about trying to help the automakers or the economy, but an effort to crush the working class and punish unions. There are many more people in line to suffer if the Big 3 go out of business, but Shelby and his band of brothers couldn’t care less.
“Union Busting” is a high priority for these Conservatives fools that have allowed our country to be run into the ground. Can you name anything good that has come out of the eight years of Bush and Conservative dominance? So what is their solution? To take it out on the blue collars of America.
If anything this memo should be used as a reminder that the Employee Free Choice Act should be one of Obama’s “high priorities” just after he takes office. Check out this video that explains a few things about it.
Scooter I know you claimed to be independent when you ran for council. But here is one of your Republican buddies on what they did to the Detroit unions.
Bill Kristol surprisingly backed up the UAW and the Democratic Party’s plan of trying to offer a bridge loan to the Big 3 and not try to be “union busters.” It’s not out of any love for unions, but all about politics. As we saw with the AutoGate Memo, the Republican leadership decided to kill the rescue plan/bridge loan to the Big 3 purely for political reasons. Those reasons are to destroy the UAW and try to make them the scapegoats. Kristol — who as you know is not on my team — believes that the Southern Strategy of attacking workers is a huge political mistake.
Kristol: I don’t think it’s very smart for a bunch of Southern Republicans to decide that the future of the Republican party is to beat up working class union members in states like Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. The UAW is in a lot of trouble, they’ve shrunk by 2/3’s in the last years…
An average automobile, 10% of the cost comes from wages and they were going to cut wages by ten or twenty percent, so it’s one or two percent of the cost of the automobile. To have a huge fight for that. I think it was a mistake for the Republicans,
He’s thinking of this in political terms for Republicans, and actually gets honest when he says that it’s not the union workers or their wages at fault here. I was not in favor of a Car Czar because I don’t trust Bush to make the choice based on the interests of the working class, but at least they see the problem this could cause our entire economy if the Republicans in Congress bankrupt the auto industry.
On the other hand, if Republicans want to immolate themselves into even further irrelevancy, I’m inclined to let them. The trick is to keep them from taking the whole country down along with them.
If not for the teachers unions what do you think those private school teachers would make? Scooter would have them shopping at the company store. Wake up it’s war on the middle class and yes Rye teachers make middle class wages.
Banthe / Canthe –
Good Heavens, where to begin? There’s just no way to point out all the logical flaws buried in the tortured syntax, mis-spellings, and grammatical mistakes in your post above. Additionally, you don’t seem to realize that Bush and the GOP are no longer in power.
Let’s leave the current auto industry mess to the new administration. MY point was that unions, unchecked, will eventually bankrupt the very industry that supplies them jobs. Detroit was slowly cooked over 3 or 4 decades as the unions kept winning concession after concession from management. At the end, a guy who spot-welded a chassis (something that can be taught to anyone of moderate skills inside of 6 hours) was paid over 100K for working 32 hours a week for 50 weeks, with paid vacation and sick leave. If he worked for 25 years he could retire with full benefits and lifetime healthcare. Quite simply, that’s absolutely nuts.
Now if you don’t want to admit that Detroit was destroyed by unions, ask yourself why there are successful non-union factories down south, where foreign car companies set up shop explicitly to avoid overpaying for labor.
If you want an example closer to home, take a drive in your car to NYC, via the Henry Hudson. Look to your right as you’re heading South. See all those things sticking out of the water? They’re the remains of the once great and busy docks that made NYC the world’s busiest port, as all sorts of raw materials were shipped in to the busy city to supply numerous light industrial companies. During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, the International Longshoreman’s Association was able to win enough concessions for their members to make it economically necessary for shippers to re-locate their ports of entry down south, to the Carolinas. As a result, hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost in the metropolitan area.
Now in Rye we have the teacher’s union screaming the old canard about their rights to a “fair” wage. I repeat the standard and proper response to this faulty demand: If you don’t like the deal you have, you’re free to seek employment elsewhere.
“War on the Middle Class?” How about the union’s – and government’s – war on private and personal property. That’s a lot more accurate.
I like that you don’t want to blame Bush but are willing to go back to the 30s to blame unions
It’s ALL the fault of union workers, who negotiated in good faith, a higher raise and pay scale with management. It’s their fault for not taking a severe pay cut DEMANDED at the point of a gun by Southern Republican senators who are ALL hanging under major fiduciary conflicts of interest – with MAJOR foreign carmaker presence in their states and will gain financially to see Detroit and the Big Three fail.
For the record, Japanese workers might be PAID less hourly wages but they are provided government benefits in excess of those contractually negotiated by American UAW workers – that factor is never entered into ANY equation.
Scooter,
Wrong again.
During the first half of this century, the shoreline bustled. Manufacturing and other industry lined the water’s edge, along with yacht clubs, ferry docks, and recreational piers. The increasingly luxurious ocean liners of the day departed from Chelsea’s well-appointed passenger terminals. Cargo ships converged on northern Brooklyn, tugboat-driven barges brought livestock to Manhattan’s meat district, and pleasure boats idled in the Harlem River. The deepwater harbor and navigable waterways—crucial reasons why the city was founded and developed here in the first place—remained integral parts of urban life and work.
Yet New York’s preeminence as a commercial port did not survive the advent of containerized shipping in the 1960s; much maritime activity migrated from Manhattan and Brooklyn to New Jersey ports whose large open spaces and rail and highway links suited them to the mechanized loading, storage, and transportation of heavy containers. The growing availability of airplanes rather than steamships, of bridges and tunnels instead of ferries, further diminished the vitality of New York’s port areas, and the construction of highways and other barriers effectively cut the public off from large sections of the shoreline. Eventually it became possible to live and work in New York with little awareness of one’s proximity to the city’s vast waterways.
Banthe / Canthe –
You’re right, I don’t want to blame Bush for the mess that Detroit’s in. I know it’s very difficult for you to believe, but not everything is Bush’s fault. Union demands led to an economically unsustainable situation where low-skilled workers were being paid comparatively very high wages, with extraordinary benefits. This problem has been present for years, and had it’s genesis in the 30’s and 40’s when unions were given complete control – dare I say monopoly – over the labor supply. The problem grew as labor unions took more and more profits away from the companies, and the mess we’re in today is, in large part, because of the unsustainable imbalance of goods received vs. price paid.
Also, you naughty boy, you should always cite your source material when you cut and paste someone else’s work as your own – which you lifted straight out of the following site:
http://www.city-journal.org/html/6_2_the_wasted.html
from Kenneth Silber.
I can use that same site to rebut your argument:
“The patterns of positive discrimination take a variety of forms. For one, [Red Hook’s] best jobs, highly paid longshoring and shipbuilding positions, are monopolized by powerful unions to such a degree that employers actually have little choice in whom they hire. And there are many more union members than jobs; indeed, no new longshoreman has been hired in the port of New York since 1972. In such cases residential location does play a role in who gets jobs—but it is residential location in the distant past rather than the present. For example, a large contractor hires carpenters from a union hiring hall near Red Hook. Many members of this father-and-son local live in the distant suburbs. Yet they have first crack at Red Hook jobs, in part because their fathers, uncles, or grandfathers once lived near the waterfront.”
This speaks volumes about the role of unions and “community”. This particular union PROTECTED ONLY UNION MEMBERS, and has left the area (Red Hook) destitute, with many below the poverty line.
Kinda like living in Detroit…